Seam binding attachment for sewing machines



Sept. 8, 1953 J. TRAPANI SEAM BINDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed April '7, 1952 Patented Sept. 8, 1953 BINDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Joseph Trapani, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application April 7, 1952, Serial No. 280,905 't-Claims. (Cl. 112-152) The present invent-ion relatesto guiding means applicable to a sewing; machine, and particularly to a strip or bindingguid'e or attachment for a sewing machine.

The main object of my invention is to'provide a sewing machine with means for guiding material suchas strips and bindings inte proper position for sewing the same on fabrics in rapid and efficient as well as accurate manner;

Another object of the invention is to mount such a machine with a guiding attachment for a binding strip that is so located as to guide the strip from the forward portion of the sewing machine toward the rear, while supplying the binding strip from a reel or spool locatedat the rear.

A further object is to have such a guiding and feeding attachment upon the intermediate portion of the sewing machine with a special curved guiding member extendingto a point forward of the sewing zone of the machine and from that point guiding the binding strip rearwardly beneath the needle.

An important object oi the invention is to have a strip guiding and feeding attachment that is a permanent fixture thereon, but is'shi-ftable from an operative position to an unobtrusive idle or inoperative position, wherein the sewing machine may readily be used for ordinary sewing without any limitation whatsoever.

' It is, of course a practical object to provide a sewing machine with such a strip guiding attachment which is simple to make and simple to use, and also reasonable in cost in order to encourage wide distribution on the market.

Other objects and advantages of' my invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of'the salient features thereof, the invention is, illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a persp'ectiveviewof a seambinding attachment made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form, the lattachment being shown as mounted on" a sewing machine partly illustrated to demonstrateoppra tion;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same attachment when disengaged from the sewing machine and partly folded qrcccll psed;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the attachment plate by which the device is attached to the machine; 7

Figure. 4 is a transverse section as taken on line 44 in Figure2';

Figure 5 is-a fragmentary perspective view of the tape or strip guidin and turning end of the strip guiding member, the view being shown on an enlarged scale; and

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of part of the device astaken on line 6-6 in Figure 1.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

Sewing machines are so universally used, that their construction and operation are well known, and several attachments are available for various purposes to facilitate certain manipulations on such machines. However, th-usfar, there appears to be no convenient attachment available for feeding and guiding a seam binding tape or strip when sewing the same upon a fabric, which attachment may also be swung back out of the way when normal use of the machine is desired. Upon considering this problem, I have succeeded in producing a special seam binding attachment as already outlined, which I shall now proceed to describe in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring also again to the drawing, a sewing machine base plate 1 has an upwardly extending hollow post 8 from which extends horizontally, the arm 9 terminating in the sewing head I!) provided with the needle rod or bar II with a needle 12 thereon, and a presser foot l3. The vicinity of the needle 2 011 base plate I may be considered the sewing zone upon the machine, and the latter as a wholebeing conventional, Upon the base plate 1 is secured an attachment plate M by screws I 5; iirearwardly of post 8 to which in turn is secured a bracket l6 having a pair of similar upright lugs l7; l1 spaced a small distance apart, the screws I 8 merely extending down into plate M to fix the bracket in place but allow removal thereof from the plate when required. Between lugs ll is pivotally mounted one end of a fiat meta-lbar l-9 by a pivot pin 20. To the other end ofthis bar I9 is pivotally connected an elongated bracket generally indicated at 21:, by means of a second pivot pin 22. allows the bracket to hinge upon the end of bar l9- and the latter similarly to hinge on the first n o ed bra et The structure 2i may well betermed a tape or strip guiding bracket, and primarily consists of a metal strip 23 having one end bent aside at an angle-to form a support for a tape reel 24 with a center stud 25 upon which this reel is mounted. A screw 28 is mounted in the free end of this support or arm 23 with the end thereof formed with a pair of friction points or edges 21 adapted to engage frictionally with the underside of a disk 28 resting rotatably on arm 29 beneath tape or strip reel 24 to prevent a too free rotation of the tape and thereby regulate feeding of the same during operation. At the other end of strip 23 is a spaced attachment portion or block 39 to which a substantially parallel slotted tape guide plate 3| is rigidly secured in spaced relation from strip 23 allowing for the presence of bar H! between strip 23 and the slottedplate 3|. This plate has a pair of upwardly open guide slots 32, 33 spaced apart along the upper edge thereof, but on the other side of block portion 30, the same plate 3| extends in more narrow form as a curved guide bar 34 terminating in an inclined bent extremity 35, cut off at an inclined angle at 36.

Upon the curved guide bar 3| is arranged a pair of fixed converging guide fingers 31, 31 while at the extremity, a releasable tape guide 38. is swingable toward a corresponding guide post 39 as indicated by arrow 49 upon its pivoted end 4| to confine the tape or binding strip 42; In order to retain the device in normal working position as shown in Figure 1, the guide plate 3| is provided with the branch arm 43, rigidly secured to the side opposite that provided with space block 30 and strip 23, a pull pin 44 mounted in arm 43 has a stop shank 45 and a knob 46 by which to manipulate it, this pull pin normally extending into a hole 48 in both members 23 and 3| as well as bar l9 between them. When the pin 44 is in this position, it co-operates with pivot pin 22 to keep strip 23 and the guide plate 3| rigidly in line with bar l9, as shown in full lines in Figure 1 and in broken lines in Figure 2. A wire spring 41 is anchored in the junction of the branch arm 43 with plate 3| and extends through the pull pin 44, biasing the latter into the engaged position. Upon pulling out this pin so that it only extends into plate 3|, but not into bar |9, the latter may be swung over away from the operative position of Figure l to the full line collapsed position of Figure 2. Stop pins 53 and are fixed in bracket Hi.

When in operative position, the tape or binding strip reel 24 feeds or supplies the tape 42 to slot 33 in guide plate 3|, and then from this slot upon the near side of the plate to slot 32, through which the tape passes back to the other side of the arcuate guiding portion 35, but as this latter part of the guide plate is of twisting shape it turns forwardly to direct the tape down and rearwardly beneath guide member 38 and past end 36 rearwardly at 49 toward the sewing zone indicated at 59 beneath needle l2.

As the desired amount of binding tape has been sewn by the machine with the attachment in operative position, pulling out of knob 46 releases pin 44 thereof from bar I9 and allows the guide plate 3| and its parallel strip 23 to hinge about pivot pin 22 so that the device as a whole can buckle as shown in Figure 2 and be brought rearwardly beneath machine arm 9 to the rear. This leaves the machine clear for other work such as ordinary sewing, until more binding tape is to be sewn upon a fabric, when the device may again be swung forward about pivot pin 20 on bracket 15 and the two members 23 and 3| straightened out and rendered rigid with intermediate bar |9 by manipulation of pin 44 by knob 46. Pins 50 and 5| determine operative and retracted positions of bar l9.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A seam binding attachment for a sewin machine having a laterally extending rigid arm terminating in a sewing head with a needle movable beneath the latter, said attachment including a stationary *bracketupon the machine having a substantially horizontal pivot pin, an elongated bar pivotally mounted at one end upon said pin, a guide plate portion upon the other end of said barhaving a pair of upwardly open slots spaced a predetermined distance apart, a tape reel supporting arm supported upon said bar rearwardly of said rigid arm and having an upright centerstud for the reel, said guide plate portion continuing in an arcuate forwardly twisted guide portion terminating in a forwardly and downwardly bent extremity for directing tape from the reel rearwardly past the sewing zone of the machine-beneath the needle thereof.

2. An attachment according to claim 1, wherein the elongated bar at its other end has a second pivot pin with the guide plate pivotally mounted on said second pivot pin, and wherein a metal strip substantially parallel to the guide plate and secured atone end thereto carries the reel supporting arm on the other end.

3. An attachment according to claim 2, wherein the metal strip has a space block at the end secured to the guide plate for spacing it from said guide plate and rigid therewith to allow for the thickness of the elongated bar to extend therebetween.

4. An attachment according to claim 3, wherein, a branch arm is'secured at one end to the guide plate and has a pull pin slidably mounted therein, the elongated bar and the metal strip have holes registering when the guide plate and strip are aligned with said elongated bar and allow the pull pin to enter said holes to retain said bar, strip and plate rigid in operative position of the attachment, said pull pin having a spring biasing the same into engaged position with said holes.

5. An attachment according to claim 4, wherein the arcuate guide portion of the guide plate has a pair of guide fingers for retaining the tape upon its path on the guide plate and a further guide means upon the extremity of said guide plate also retains the tape upon its path thereon and directs it toward the sewing zone.

6. An attachment according to claim 5, wherein the arm having thecenter stud for the tape reel has a reel supporting disk rotatably mounted I on said stud and a retarding screw mounted on the same arm having friction points upon the end thereof frictionally engaging with said disk to regulate rotation thereof during operation and preventing irregular slacking of the tape toward said guide plate.

7. An attachment according to claim 6, wherein the branch arm is secured upon the side of said guide plate opposite to the reel supporting arm, and the end of the guide plate is curved to the same side upon which said branch arm is located.

JOSEPH 'IRAPANI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,631 :Myers Nov. 10, 1936 

